The Wrong Ones
by holdsmoke
Summary: Lindsay recently left and Seth is trying to get Ryan back in the dating game, all the while attempting to win Summer back for himself. What if he brought these two people together without even knowing it? RyanSummer pairing
1. Off to the mall!

**Edit: Hey, it's been like... 2 years since I wrote this and I recently have come back to the world of fanfiction, as it's rather hard to sit here and wait patiently for the fourth season. So, as I'm scanning through various fics of my favourite fanfic pairing (Ryan and Summer are love) I stumbled across my half-assed story, which you are looking at now. So, I'm currently editing and reposting the first 4 chapters and I'll pick up from there as soon as I've gone over everything.**

Well, This is my first fanfic and I have been thinking over so many different ideas for me to make my debut on. But I have reluctantly chosen this one. This is obviously about The O.C. and will be based of the currently fictional Ryan/ Summer pairing. This will take place after the episode the episode in which Summer, Seth and Zach travel over to some place to show they're comic idea's to some guy and they get turned down because Seth messes up and goes home early, alone and on a bus. Blah blah blah, you get the picture

Disclaimer: Well being a kid that doesn't even live in the U.S., I obviously don't own anything- Including that facts that I'm not that rich, I'm not that old, and I'm writing this fanfiction… hmmm, this of the things that could happen if you did own them though…

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Chapter One: Off to the mall!

"Dammit, Cohen!" Summer said angrily as she looked at the caller ID on her cell phone when it began ringing. He had called her twice already in the last hour and she knew it was because he wanted to apologize for being such a dumbass last night. Summer didn't want to hear it so she just ignored the ringing until it subsided.

"Why don't you just talk to him, Sum?" Marissa asked, getting annoyed by the constant sound of the ringtone she had helped her best friend pick out. They were spending a day at the mall, so that they could get in some girl time before the weekend was over.

"Because he's an ass and all he's going to do if I pick up is repeat over and over how sorry he is and ask if I'll get back together with him. Who the hell does he think he is Coop? Leaving for the summer and coming back to pick up where we left off?! I wonder how I fell for Cohen's sorry ass in the first place." She answered, obviously pissed off with his actions.

"Well at least you have a boyfriend to cheer you up. Ryan's moping about his relationship with Lindsay and D.J. left awhile ago leaving me with a check, how romantic that was. Relationships are so complicated." Marissa replied solemnly, hating the fact that she was so lonely. Right about now, she'd be happy to have two guys fighting over her.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Summer added as the two turned into a new store and began to search for the perfect new outfits.

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Seth walked into the Pool house and saw Ryan sitting on his bed reading another book. "Geez man, do you ever stop studying?" He asked making Ryan look up from the page he was currently reading. Sometimes the whole geek routine got a little out of hand, especially considering that it was the weekend.

"I'm not studying, Seth." Ryan replied closing up the novel and putting it aside as he sat up on the bed and looked up at Seth. He knew this was going to be something about his girl troubles, it usually was.

"Then what are you doing, reading for fun?" Seth joked as Ryan stayed quiet and just stared at him for a second. Seth got it. "Oh… uh, well… uh..."

"What do you want, Seth?" Ryan asked as he stood up and walked towards the pool house door. Seth followed him out.

"Well last night, about the comic book trip… didn't go so well." Seth answered Ryan, hesitantly.

"What did you do this time?" Ryan asked over his shoulder as he walked past the sliding glass door and into the kitchen area of the main house.

"Uh… I got nervous and screwed everything up, told Summer that I wanted to be with her in front of Zach. When we got back to the hotel Zach was pissed at me so I took off and I am completely clueless on how to get her back. You've gotta help me, bro." Seth replied eagerly as he looked up at Ryan, who didn't seem that impressed with Seth's story.

"Well, have you tried calling her yet?" Ryan asked, not surprised by Seth's recent mistake as he pulled out a bagel and the small container of cream cheese.

"About four times now, and she hasn't awnsered once. All I want to do is apologize man, I don't see what the problem with that is." Seth replied, clearly confused as he leaned onto counter by the sink of the kitchen, awaiting Ryan's next words of wisdom.

"Why don't you try going over to her place, she can't hang up on you if you're right in front of her." Ryan replied as he cut the bagel in half and popped the lid of the container before spreading the cream cheese over the bagel.

"I called her place and for once, the evil step-mom is home. She told me Summer was out at the mall. I actually pity Zach for once, having to go out and experience shopping with Summer. That's practically a trip to hell filled with many aisles of clothing and accessories." Seth replied sarcastically. When Ryan thought about it, shopping with Summer did sound pretty bad.

"She's probably out with Marrissa. I wouldn't consider Zach an ideal shopping buddy for Summer." Ryan commented, taking another bite out of his bagel.

Seth thought about this for a minute and Ryan knew he was in trouble when a smug smile spread across his brothers face.

"You're a genius, Ryan! You know where we're going?" Seth asked, obviously pleased. Ryan didn't know what he'd said that had been so great.

"You know I don't really feel like-" Seth cut Ryan off before he could finish his sentence.

"Get ready, Ryan, we're going to the mall!" Seth said enthusiastically as he pushed himself off the counter top.

"Seth, I don't really think that's such a great idea..." Ryan replied, definitley not as happy as Seth was.

"Do you want to help me get Summer back or not, man? You know Marissa will be there too right." Seth complained as he tried to convince Ryan that he had to go.

"I don't really want to see Marissa right now… after everything that just happened with Lindsay…" Ryan stated quietly.

"Come on man! It's time to get over this whole Lindsay thing, and getting back with Marissa is the perfect way to do so. Please?" Seth asked hopefully

"Fine! Just don't expect me to be much of an assistance" Ryan agreed, flatly.

"It's fine bro, I already know that you don't talk much to begin with. Now hurry up, off to the mall!" Seth charged out the door as Ryan grabbed the keys to the Rover and sighed as he followed in behind.


	2. The Mall scene

Disclaimer: You know what! Why the hell do we have to write these things any ways?! It's not like in the future any of us is going to own a huge multi-million dollar company and produce a show like the O.C.! So come on, people! Sue me if you dare but you won't get anything because I am a hobo living on a small street corner with a computer as my only object of possession! Wait… Please don't sue! I like my computer! Have heart! You wouldn't sue a hobo anyway! You'll never find out where I live! I can change my destinations rather quickly…

Well… after that note I'd like to thank my reviewers: ilovedanben33, anon, and wantingchino. Keep those reviews coming people! I'd also like constructive criticism, cause I want to know if you guys want longer chapters, any special suggestions and ideas, or just if you plain don't like my ideas. It's always helpful as a writer to know what to improve. So to you 3 reviewers and others who didn't push the special purple button at the bottom but read and liked my fic, this is for you.

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Chapter 2: The mall scene

Ryan turned into the huge shopping center, regretfully as Seth watched the passing cars and people for any sign of Summer and/or Marissa. Ryan pulled into an open spot that was close enough to the entrance and cut the engine of the rover, looking over at Seth who was already jumping out of the car.

"Seth, are you sure you want to do this? We could still go back home." Ryan uneffortlessly tried to change Seth's mind about his plan to get his ex back. He really wanted to just hang around in his pool house and do something that didn't involve tons of people and lots of noise everywhere.

Seth heard the comment and looked at Ryan as if he were insane. He would never turn down an opportunity to see Summer, nonetheless, raise the bar even the tiniest bit closer to the point of getting her back, which he obviously didn't know had been going down since his current non-stop attempts at trying to get a hold of her.

"Of course I am bro, and besides, Marissa will be there. And since you need to get back in this so called "dating game" I, the date doctor, Seth Cohen will hook you up, man, no problem." He smirked and slammed the passenger seat door.

Ryan raised his eyebrow, shutting his door and walking around the back of the Rover. "First of all, I don't want to date anymore. Everytime I end up with someone, something goes wrong and they always leave me, or I have to leave them. And second of all, how can you be the date doctor if you've only had two girlfriends and don't even have one at right now?" He asked as they passed through one of the few sets of double doors that indicated the entrance of the mall.

"Ryan, do not doubt me and my charming, chick magnetic ways, all right? Before you know it, Summer will be back with me and we'll be living happily ever after." Seth replied with his huge ego at work as he scanned the stores thinking about which ones Summer would pass through.

"People live happily ever after in Newport?" Ryan said, searching the faces of passing citizens for his own sake. The faster they found Summer, the faster they could leave. Ryan hated almost anything to do with shopping.

"Now, that I think about it… No. Now brace yourself, we're about to make our first stop." Seth replied as he steered Ryan into a store that was stocked with clothing, make up, and accessories that were specifically for girls.

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45 minutes had passed and Summer and Marrissa were practically drowning in shopping bags as they made one last stop before heading out to lunch. They scanned the racks of shirts, pants and shorts as they carried on with they're conversation.

"Sum, can we go already? I love shopping but we have enough stuff as it is and I'm starving!" Marrissa complained, kind of surprised that she was actually turning down a shopping trip.

Summer searched though the clothing but didn't find anything that really grabbed her attention as her friend dragged herself along behind, also taking a quick look though things. "All right, fine. Everything here sucks anyway. Where do you want to eat, Coop?" She said turning around to look at the girl.

"I don't know, I'm up for just about anything right about now." Marissa said as they made their way towards the exit of the store. The two girls were just about at exit when they were stopped by someone, blocking they're way.

Summer looked up at the figures in front of her and was clearly pissed by what she saw. "Summer? What a surprise!" Seth Cohen said with a huge grin on his face as if he had no idea that she was going to be there in the first place.

"Shove it, Cohen! Let's go, Coop." Summer spat out as she grabbed onto Marrissa's wrist, shoved passed Seth and stormed out of the store, charging towards the nearest exit. Seth ran up beside Summer and tried to keep up as he explained why he acted the way he did and typically he just repeated what he'd say anytime that she'd get mad at him. It seemed to work most of the time, didn't it?

"Summer, look I know I was a huge idiot about the comic book and you being with Zach and I-" He was cut off by Summer.

"Don't want to hear it Cohen." She interrupted without even glancing at him as she pushed though one of the doors that led to the parking lot.

By now, she had let go of Marrissa, who was slowly walking behind, keeping her distance from the two teens. And where was Ryan during all of this? He was following them, watching Seth push Summer closer to the point where she was going to blow. He'd heard Seth call this a rage blackout and Ryan really didn't think his friend would want to experience one of them.

Finally, they had found Marissa's red mustang and Summer stopped and turned to a babbling Seth, who didn't look like he was ready to shut up anytime soon, but Summer would have none of that. "Cohen! What the hell is your problem? I could really care less about you wanting me back and it's not going to happen! So leave me the hell alone!" Sheyelled at him and for once, he was actually at a loss of words.

"But… but I…" Seth searched for the right set of words.

"Chino, can you get him like, get him out of here?" Summer said, alittle more quietly as she turned and got inside the car. Marissa passed the two boys, giving Ryan a small smile when he looked at her, and then got in the front seat of the car. She fired up the engine and pulled out of there quickly, leaving an upset Seth and a thankful Ryan behind.

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Well here it is, chapter two, hope you liked it. I know it wasn't exactly the most exciting thing but I'm just setting out the storyline here. In the next chapter, I'm going to try to get some Ryan-Summer connections going. Please give me a review. I'm trying to get the next Chapter off as quickly as possible, hopefully even later today.


	3. The break up

Disclaimer: No, I do not own the company or any of the characters. I do however own a copy of the Season One DVD set and The OC: Mix 1,2, and 4 CD's. It took me forever to find them so to those of you, who would like to get you hands on one, I suggest HMV.

Since I wasn't so pleased with the lack of action in the last chapter, I have decided to release another new chapter. Reviews are very much appreciated!

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Chapter 3: The Break Up

Marrissa and Summer were in the middle of eating at the Crab Shack even though it wasn't they're ideal choice of restaraunt. Summer was just starting to forget about the previous events that had taken place at the biggest shopping mall in all of Newport Beach and Marrissa for some reason thought that this would be a good time to bring it up.

"So… Sum, uh… don't you think you're being alittle bit hard on Seth?" Marissa said with a bit of hesitance while she tried to pop it in fairly unnoitced. But she wasn't able to get it past Summer that easily, as she quickly shot a deadly glance at Marissa.

"Coop! Whos side are you on here?" Summer said already getting angry about the faintest thought about her good for nothing ex-boyfriend.

Marrissa suddenly regreated bringing the topic up but she knew it was something that needed to be discussed. "You know I'm on your side but Sum he's trying really hard to get you back. Couldn't you at least… be friends with him?"

Summer was shocked. "Be friends with HIM? Do you know what that would do to mine and Zach's relationship? It'd be over faster than you can say Seth Cohen. And besides, we already tried being friends, remember the Walkmen concert? He kissed me! There is no way I even want to go near that ass!" Summer told her friend, rasing her voice.

"Calm down. Zach is a good guy, I'm sure if you talked to him about it he wouldn't mind. And if he does, which I don't see why he would, than at least be a little nicer to Seth. Come on Sum, I'm sure it wouldn't be that much to ask." Marissa replied. She saw Summer's face lighten abit and watched as she actually though about it.

"Well… alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt. But this doesn't mean that I don't still hate him, cause I do, very much actually." Summer agreed, adding on her one and only condition. But Marissa seemed happy enough with it as they got up and left the little restaraunt.

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Ryan and Seth had recently returned from the mall and were now in the pool house together, discussing their catastrophic mall trip. Ryan was trying his best to calm Seth down and convince him that there was still a chance that he and Summer would get back together. Even though Ryan couldn't really think of a way for it to happen.

"Dude, How am I supposed to get her back if she hates me?" Seth questioned as he paced back and forth infront Ryan, who was currently sitting on the edge of the bed.

"She doesn't hate you Seth, she's just... alittle annoyed right now. Give it some time, man." Ryan tried to convince his friend, comming up with things off the top of his head.

"How do you know that for sure though, bro? She's probably digging my grave right now… or worse… she'll be hanging out with Zach." Seth said, ungreatfully, as a look of disgust crossed his face. But what Seth didn't know is that that was exactly what Summer was planning on doing.

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Summer had just dropped her best friend off and was now at Zach's house, knocking on the door. To her relief, Zach opened the door. She was pretty sure that the rest of his family hated her. But Zach didn't seem as happy to see her for some reason. He gave her a nervous smile that she could tell was compleatley fake.

"Um… Hi, Zach. Are you feeling okay?" She asked, curiously, trying to get a look at what was going on inside the house.

Zach stepped outside and shut the door to prevent this. "Hey, Uh… this is a really bad time so can we talk later?" He asked, nervously. Summer thought that he look parinoid.

"I understand if it's a family emergency or something but this will only take a second. Unless theres something I should know about?" Summer asked as she watched him taking quick glances at the window in the door.

"No, theres nothing that you should know about. Why would I hide…" He paused as the door opened and a blonde girl who had appeared to be a couple years older than Summer appeared. "...anything from you..." He finished and turned to look at an enraged Summer.

"Who the hell is she?" Summer asked, completely pissed at him. Suddenly, she wasn't so mad at Cohen.

The blonde fired back with the same question. "Me? Who the hell are you?" Summer was taken aback. They both looked at Zach.

"Look, Summer I was going to tell you, it's just things were complicated and my parents wanted me to meet her and I-" He was cut off.

"Cheated on me? All you jocks are the same! God, I am never dating again!" She said and stormed off, leaving Zach to argue with his blonde bombshell.

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Seth had finally stopped pacing and was now lying on the bed, Ryan hadn't really switched positions. Seth was still complaining about how his life with Summer was over when suddenly there was a knock on the door. Seth was too depressed to do anything with himself, so Ryan got up to answer it. He pulled open the door and stared, puzzled, at the figure before him.

He wasn't sure if he should brace himself for another round of get-pissed-at-Cohen or if she was here to apologize or something like that. But she looked upset for some reason, almost like she'd been crying or like she was at least about to. She had her arms wrapped protectively across her torso and she looked small and defenseless. Ryan couldn't help but feel something towards her. Sympathy? Maybe, but it still felt like it was something more aswell.

"Summer?" He said, unsure of what to do. This one word caused Seth to shoot up into a sitting position as he looked at the girl standing in the doorway. Yeah, that was definitely her.

"Hi, Can I come in?" She asked, quietly.

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I am so happy with how this chapter turned out! And hopefully you are too! Now please tell me how you felt about this by clicking my favorite little review button just down here below this message.


	4. Conversations

Disclaimer: I don't own, you don't sue!

Holy Shit! Who else saw that episode?! I loved the prom, go Jester Cohen! And everyone the season finale next week at 7:00! Make sure you tune in at 7:00! And after that much nothing I can do can live up to that ep, but well I am so happy with the turn out of the last chapter and I have decided to update because our total number of reviews is… 5! BAM! So come on people keep those reviews coming. And now a very special thanks to the following:

Miz: Thanks for your input and duh… of course RyanSummer rocks!

Idfin: Yeah I totally agree with you, there should be more Ryan-Summer fics in the world and also thanks for the advice, I'll use it wisely.

wantingchino: I just want to thank you for adding my fic to your list of favorites.

Thanks again people and I hope I'll hear from you again! I don't know what it is, I'm a very odd person, probably why I'm so creative, but it makes me feel special seeing my name in a fan fiction so I want to make other people feel special too. So now after that, on with the chapter!

And I now dedicate this chapter to the death of Caleb Nichol, even if I didn't like him that much. R.I.P.

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Chapter 4: Conversations

"_Summer?" He said, unsure of what to do. This one word caused Seth to shoot up into a sitting position as he looked at the girl standing in the doorway. Yeah, that was definitely her. _

"_Hi, Can I come in?" She asked, quietly._

He moved aside, letting her in without a word. She slowly headed to the couch and sat down, staring at the floor. Ryan watched her carefully, his eyes moving over her. Seth crawled over and sat on the couch beside her. He wanted badly to be the one to rescue her, because he'd do anything to get another chance…

"Summer? What happened to you?" He asked, staring straight at her, Ryan almost thought that she looked uncomfortable under his gaze. Meanwhile, she didn't even notice Ryan, almost as if she didn't mind him being there.

She didn't move her eyes off the carpet as she spoke. "Zach." She answered shortly, but sadly.

Seth looked at her oddly for a moment. "Did he do something to you?" Seth questioned, and even though he wanted to kill the bastard for dating Summer in the first place, he was pretty sure that whatever was going on now would only increase the wanting to go spiderman all over his ass.

"Yeah." Summer replied to his question, again with only a mono-sylable. Had she been seeing too much of Ryan lately?

"Well... what did he do?" Seth waited impatiently for the answer. Ryan stood near the door, which was now closed, as he observed the conversation quietly. Whatever Zach did, he knew it would be bad and he wasn't sure that Summer would have wanted to admit it.

"Cheated." Ryan was right, she didn't want to answer his question, but she did anyways, just as blankly and emotionless as her last two words had been.

Seth was confused. Zach appeared to be a great guy. He was smart, athletic, romantic, and he had girls swooning over his looks, but then again, that kind of came with being a water polo player. Damn water polo players! He had such a good thing going with a girl who was hotter than hot and then he went and cheated on her! Seth couldn't believe him! Seth was confused…

But not as confused as Summer was.

Summer didn't know what had happened and she had began searching for reasons as of to why Zach did this to her. First, she blamed it on him. What kind of guy would let a girl like her go? And then she turned to the blonde that he had cheated with. He was probably with her cause she was offering something to him, something that she refused to give him. But then, realization dawned on her… what if the reason Zach did this was because of her? What if there was something wrong with her?

She felt numb, she didn't know why. Zach was an ass and she had all the right to dump him, but she couldn't figure out why she felt so bad about it. One conclusion lead to another and-

"Summer? Hello, earth to Summer." Seth Cohen said, waving his hand in front of her face as he snapped her out of her daze.

"Huh, what?" Summer said shaking her head and finally looking at him. Her eyes were rimmed with a light shade of red and were the faintest bit watery. Seth paused, seeing the look on her face, but then snapped out of it quickly and continued.

"I was just asking how you found out." He repeated his earlier question.

Summer's eyes quickly scanned the room. She noticed that Ryan had switched positions and was now seated at the bottom of the bed, staring up at her, curiously. She was thankful that he hadn't spoken a word this entire time, and she really wasn't looking forward to having to think about this topic anymore.

"I don't really want to talk about it, Seth." She replied as her eyes found the floor again. All she really wanted to do right now was go to sleep and have her mind go blank.

Seth didn't really seem happy with the reply as he took a look at Ryan. He could tell by the look on Ryan's face that he didn't think it was a good idea to push it out of her and sighing, Seth agreed with this. "Okay, That's okay. Um… So what are you going to do now?" He asked her what would hopefully be the final question of the night.

She paused and thought for a minute. "I guess I'll go home, get some rest." Summer replied, her voice was still quiet and delicate. She still felt like crap. She was still completely pissed off. She still was numb. And she still hated every second of this day.

Seth nodded and got up, taking a last look at Ryan as Summer repeated his actions. Seth said a quick bye and Summer said nothing and they both exited the pool house, leaving the boy alone to think about what had just happened.

Seth had gone inside the main building after he and Summer had exchanged a few quick words. He was still curious as of to what had happened and he would definitely have to pay Zach a little visit tomorrow.

Summer had gone around the side of the house and gotten into her car. But when she had got in, she just sat there, staring ahead at the Cohen mansion. Her hands gripped the steering wheel and millions of different things ran through her mind when she finally made her decision.

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Ryan sat alone on his bed in the pool house, thinking over the things that had just happened. He really felt sorry for Summer and he just couldn't get her out of his head. He figured a good nights rest would take her of his mind and just as he was about to get ready to go to sleep, the pool house door creaked open. There she was, standing in the doorway for the second time that night.

"Summer? I thought you left." Ryan said a little confused as he got up off the bed and took a few steps towards her.

She shrugged. "Yeah well… I didn't feel like going home to an empty house and there are so many memories there. So can I maybe… stay here tonight?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I guess. Hang on, I'll go get Seth." He answered, only to be stopped by her.

"No, Wait! Sorry… it's just I was kind of hoping for a quiet evening and Seth… he can't really be that quiet." She stated, giving him a nervous look. He was fine with it though, nodding as he went to the back of the room to grab an extra blanket for himself.

"You can take the bed." He offered and she was too tired and upset to argue with him, so she accepted without a word. She slowly shed a few pieces of clothing, leaving herself in just her tank and mini-skirt. While she did this, Ryan spread the blanket out across the couch for himself, trying alittle harder than he should have not to get distracted by her. He had a feeling he wouldn't get much sleep tonight.

She crawled under the covers as Ryan took off his shirt, leaving his jeans on as he uncovered his signature wife-beater. He lay down on top of the blankets, bringing his hands behind his head as he leaned back against the pillow.

He snuck a peek at the girl lying in his bed. Her back was turned to him and she seemed to be already asleep. He sighed as he rolled over and shut his eyes, trying to force himself into a peaceful state. But what he couldn't see was that Summer's eyes were wide open, and tears were falling out of them.


	5. Say Goodnight

Okay well, I'm finally done going over everything and I'm ready to move on with the story. So here it is, after about a year, chapter 5. I know it's kinda odd, having the fourth season going on and continuing with a fic thats set in the second season, so i hope that you kids can bear with me. Enjoy.

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Chapter 5 - Say Goodnight

Ryan had been rudely waken up by the noises that had been comming from the washroom of the pool house. He lie still, blinking a few times before straining his eyes to peer around the dark of the room. The alarm clock beside his bed had read 3:18am and he tensed, wondering what the hell was going on.

The events of the previous night had slowly started comming back to him and he remembered all about Summer's recent break up. The whole thing had confused him, he'd never seen her act this way when her and Seth were in the middle of a fight before but he wouldn't dare ask her why it was so different this time. She looked so broken when she was sitting in this exact spot earlier, he wouldn't want to risk making her more upset about things by asking stupid questions.

Ryan began to worry when he glanced at the bed that was now empty. He sat up and stretched, pushing himself off the couch and setting off down the hall. He could see the light slipping through the edges of the door frame of the washroom and he remained silent, pressing his ear to the door and listening intently in hopes that he'd be able to find out what was going on inside.

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Summer was sitting on the edge of the tub, trying to control her sobs even though they were only getting louder. She had retreated to the washroom about ten minutes earlier, not wanting to wake Ryan up. He had looked so peaceful, lying there on the couch. She'd never forgive herself if she had shaken him out of his sleeping state just so that he could deal with all of her bullshit.

Everything would be fine later, when the sun came up. She would pass through the stage of being upset and onto the one of being pissed off. But right now, a few tears was all she needed, even though it exceeded that barrier by quite a bit. Lately, she had been convincing herself that her and Zack were a match made in heaven. He was just so perfect and sweet and anti-Cohen and... ugh, that had all been shot to hell.

"Summer?" A rough voice called from the other side of the door, shaking her train of thought.

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Ryan paused, leaning against the door as he waited for a response. When one didn't come, he tried again, hoping for a better result this time.

"Summer? Are you okay?" He closed his eyes a listened hard, his ear pressing against the door as he brought his hand up to reach for the doorknob.

"Ryan? Why aren't you asleep?" He stopped, resting is hand on the knob instead of going inside. Her voice was quiet and shaky, it was obvious that she had been crying and it scared Ryan.

He tensed up and wrapped his fist tightly around the door handle. He just stood there and waited, not turning the knob, not pushing open the door. Just waiting.

"You woke me up," He paused, pondering over his next words, shifting slightly. "Is everything alright?" Ryan asked, stuttering over the words.

Summer was now on her feet, standing in front of the door, one hand pressed against it to help keep her up, the other wiping away at the last few tears that came out of her eyes. She was trying hard not to sound like she was hurting but it was extreamly difficult to hide. She bit her lip and swallowed hard, trying to keep her words from cracking.

"Yeah, everythings fine. You should go back to bed, I'll be out in a minute." She replied, attempting to get rid of him. She really didn't want to weigh him down with all of her problems.

Ryan sighed, slowly losening his grip on the door knob, letting his hand slip away from it and back down by his side. "Alright," He paused, trying one last time to hear her breathing on the other side of the door. "Don't take too long."

He stepped back from the door, but never managed to turn around and walk back to the couch. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and waiting for her to come out.

Summer nodded to herself at his words, as if he could see it. She turned and looked back at her puffy, red eyes in the mirror. Turning on the tap, she splashed some water on her face and cleaned up the smudged make-up that she hadn't had the time to wash off the night before.

Taking one last look at herself, she sighed. She wouldn't let Ryan see her, he was probably back on the couch with his head face down in the pillow, sound asleep by now. And if he wasn't, if he was lying there waiting for her it would probably be too dark to make out her facial features anyways, right? She figured that he wouldn't try to make conversation, Ryan wasn't really one for words.

Shaking away her thoughts, Summer pulled open the door and gasped, surprised to see Ryan in front of her.

"Shit." She cursed in almost a whisper. Unsure of what to do, she stood there awkwardly, staring back at him.

"Summer..." He stepped towards her, cutting off most of the space between them and bringing his hand up to brush a few strands of hair away from her face so that he could see her better.

He stared at her hard and she was forced to pull her eyes down to stare at the ground, uncomfortable under his gaze. She folded her arms securely across her chest and felt Ryan's thumb brush lightly at her eye, making sure that she wasn't still crying. She knew all about his habit of saving people but she didn't want to play the damsel in distress role. Summer Roberts wasn't going to come across as vulnerable and she would makes sure of that.

"Chino, I'm fine." She said boldly, thanking god that her voice didn't break. She placed a hand on his chest and lightly pushed him back, forcing him to bring his arm back down by his side.

Summer was now looking at him again. Ryan raised his eyebrow and it was obvious that he didn't believe her.

Picking up on the look, she rolled her eyes. "Really, everything is okay. Stop worrying about me and come back to bed." Shutting off the washroom light, she started towards the main room, brushing his shoulder as she went.

Ryan followed her path back into the room, trying hard to make out her figure as his eyes ajusted to the darkness. She slowly sank down and crawled into the bed as he lay back down on the couch.

Summer layed on her back and stared at the ceiling. Ryan was on his side, facing her. He tried to close his eyes and drift back off into sleep again but failed. Ryan was curious. He was never one to push it, but he had to know what was going on with her. 

She could feel him staring and turned her head to the side to look at him. He just layed still, watching her. She glanced back at him for a few seconds before getting annoyed.

"What?" Summer asked, confused.

He struggled for a minute, trying to figure out what to say. "You know, you don't have to pretend like theres nothing wrong around me..."

"What are you talking about?" She responded as she propped herself up on her elbows.

"You're obviously upset about what happened but you're acting like everythings perfect and you really don't have to. If it's easier to cry, then cry. I won't tell anyone." Ryan said, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

Summer raised an eyebrow at him and thought about his words. She hestitated before speaking again. "Look, I know what you're trying to do, but I don't want your help. I'm a big girl, Chino, I can handle it myself."

"But five minutes ago you were-"

"I know, I know. I just... had a moment." Summer said, interupting him.

Ryan let out a long, slow breath. "Okay." He replied in a quiet tone, nodding his head.

"Okay." She responded, offering a small smile. "Goodnight, Ryan." She said, laying back down and pulling up the covers.

He stared for a few seconds longer before slowly bringing his head back to the pillow.

"Goodnight, Summer."


	6. Wake Up Calls

Chapter 6 - Wake Up Calls

Seth Cohen pushed open the door to the pool house and let the hot Newport sun shine into the room.

"Dude, come on, it's 11, wake up already." The curly haired boy said to his brother, who dug his face into his pillow and rolled over in an attempt to hide from the bright light that invaded his pool house.

"Come on, Ryan, get up, I'm serious. I have a problem and seeing as I'm obviously not going to confront my parents about it, I need you to pay attention and nod whenever you think it's appropriate. Your oppinion would be nice too, if you're talkative enough to give it to me this morning." Seth went on, pacing and making motions with his hands.

Ryan kept his eyes closed tightly and tried to ignore Seth, but it was hard, seeing as he just wouldn't shut up. He finally gave up and rolled onto his back, blinking a couple times to get used to the bright of the room. As soon as he was able to keep his eyes open, he shot Seth an annoyed look.

Seth smiled, glad that he'd accomplished his goal of waking Ryan up. He closed to the door and made his way further into the room, stopping at the foot of the bed.

"Dude, why are you sleeping on the couch?" Seth asked, clearly confused.

The question threw Ryan off, bringing back the events of the previous night. He quickly glanced over to look at the bed and he was relieved to see that it was empty. He'd hate to have to explain why Summer was sleeping in his room to Seth, who was more in love with her than anything else in the world. He swallowed nervously, thinking hard to come up with an excuse.

"I spilled." He said, almost too quickly. Seth raised his eyebrow and Ryan let out a long breath.

"Uh... water. Last night I went to get a drink and I tripped and spilled it on the bed so I just... slept on the couch." Ryan explained, hoping that Seth would buy into the lie.

"Ryan, dude, if you're having bladder problems you can tell me. It's nothing to be embaressed about, man." Seth replied, a high level of sarcasm was easily dectected in his voice.

Ryan gave Seth one of his trademark "shut-the-hell-up" looks, then he pulled the blanket off himself and sat up, running a hand through his already disheveled hair.

"Alright, I'd love to joke around with you all morning, but there are more serious matters at hand that need to be discussed here, bro. And by serious matters, I mean Summer." Seth said, taking a seat on the foot of the bed.

"What about her?" Ryan asked, sighing.

"Dude, She broke up with Zach. I need to find out what happened." Seth replied.

"He cheated on her, she told you that." Ryan reminded, standing up and heading towards the stack of fresh towels sitting on the counter.

"Yeah, but with who, man? And how'd Summer find out? And how long has he been cheating for? And how did they hook up?" Seth went on, making a list of questions.

"It's none of your business, Seth. You should just stay out of it." Ryan called behind him as he grabbed a shirt off of the rack.

"Are you sure though, dude? Maybe I should go over to Summer's or Zach's and ask about it." Seth suggested, trying to come up with a plan.

"No, bad idea. Just leave it alone, I'm sure everything'll be fine at school tomorrow. Could we maybe finish this later?" Ryan said, holding up his towel and motioning towards the washroom.

Seth sighed in defeat and dispointedly pushed himself off the bed and headed towards the door. "Fine, dude. But if things aren't back to normal tomorrow, I'm getting involved." He called behind himself as he exited the pool house and shut the door.

Ryan rolled his eyes and made his way to the washroom, turning on the shower. It was going to be a long week.

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Summer cringed at the ringing sound of her phone. Who the hell was calling her at this hour? Doesn't anyone sleep anymore? Letting out a frustrated groan, she looked at the alarm clock and was shocked to see that it was almost 12:30. She picked up her cell phone answered right away, not bothering to check who was calling.

"Hello?" She said in a tired voice, rolling over onto her back.

"Summer, I'm so glad you picked up." She recognized her ex-boyfriends voice right away and mentally kicked herself for answering.

"Zach, I don't want to talk." Suddenly, Summer was wide awake and more than ready to kick someones ass.

"Wait, please, just let me explain." Zach pleaded, desperately.

"What is there to explain? You cheated on me and I dumped you, it's over, deal with it." She said boldly and pulled the phone away from her ear, ignoring the faint protests comming from the ear peice and flipping it shut.

Summer got up and started getting ready to go to Marissa's house. She figured that an entire day of laying out in the sun by her best friend's pool would take her mind off of Zach. But as she dressed, Zach wasn't the only thing that was troubling her. Her mind drifted to everything that had happened last night with Ryan and how he'd been so nice about everything. She had left the Cohen house a few hours after their encounter at the washroom to avoid having to face anyone the next morning. She almost wished that she was still there though, and it disturbed her.

She occupied herself with other things. The unwritten laws of dating stated that a girl couldn't go for her best friends crush and there was no way that she was going to do that, not after all the times that Marissa had been there for her. Summer was still thrown off though, did she just consider dating Ryan Atwood? The fact that she even considered it deeply confused her and all she could do was shrug off the idea and forget about it. She finished getting ready and left the house for the Cooper residence.

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Ryan was laying on his bed with his hands tucked under his head, staring at the ceiling. He'd just gotten back from dinner with the Cohens and was struggling to clear his head.

He didn't know why, but Summer Roberts had been on his mind all day. He been trying hard to shake the image of the way that she had looked last night from his brain but was failing terribly. Seth had been making it hard for him to forget about things, having babbled on about the girl all day. But this just wasn't normal, the last girl that Ryan had thought about this much was Lindsey, and she had been his girlfriend at the time.

He glanced over at the phone and sighed. He stared at it for a couple of seconds before he gave into his newfound curiousity. Propping himself up on his elbows, he reached for the phone and dialed the number of the Roberts house.

Ryan held his breath as the ringing began. He suddenly regreted his decision and hoped that no one would answer. When no one picked up after the second ring he felt alittle dispointed though. He was getting ready to hang up when a female voice sounded through the phone.

"Okay, look Cohen, what happened with me and Zach is none of your business! Stop being such and ass and leave me the hell alone already! If you call one more time I swear I'll..." Summer's voice angrily rang out and it made Ryan smile.

"Um... Hi, Summer. This is Ryan." He said nervously, cutting her off and pausing between his sentenses.

"Oh." Summer said lightly, obviously surprised. "Sorry Chino, I thought you were Seth."

"Yeah, I kind of got that..." Ryan replied, reaching up to stratch the back of his head.

"So... whats up?" Summer asked, breaking a long pause of silence, making sure that things wouldn't get awkward even though the pair couldn't help but feel like it already was.

"Not a lot... I, uh, just wanted to see how you were doing, after last night and all..."

"Oh. Well... I'm fine, thanks."

"Thats good."

"Yeah."

Ryan shifted uncomfortably on his bed and looked around the room, hoping to find something that he could say written on the walls in front of him. It had proved to be pointless and he sucked in a deep breath, wanting for the first time in his life to have Seth's conversational skills.

"So..." Ryan began, suddenly losing whatever thoughts he'd attempted to form in his head moments before.

"So..." Summer echoed, having the same amount of difficulty thinking up a topic as he was.

"Did you talk to, uh... Zach at all today?" Ryan questioned, lowering his voice as he said the boys name, almost as if it was a curse.

"Yeah, he called." She replied, blankly. It almost seemed to Ryan like it didn't bother her at all.

"Oh." Ryan responded, his mind blank yet again. He waited for her to talk but it was obvious that it wasn't comming any time soon. "How did that go?"

Summer sighed and Ryan instantly felt like he'd screwed up. He was good at not talking, why didn't he just stick to not talking?

"I, um, hung up on him." She stated and he nodded in understanding even though she couldn't see it.

They both sat in their rooms and did nothing to stop the awkward silence filtering in through the ear peices of both ends of the phone.

"I have to go." Summer said after about a minute of the unbearable quiet. "But... thanks for calling. See you at school?"

"Uh, yeah, bye." Ryan answered awkwardly. He felt like he was a shy, middle school kid who was trying to talk to a girl he liked.

"Bye." Summer said and then the line went dead. Ryan listened to it for a few seconds before hanging the phone back up and laying back on his bed as he let out a long breath. He linked his hands together like and tucked them under his head and everything was the same as it was before he made the call. Closing his eyes, he wondered what was going on with him today.

It's not like he's ever had that much trouble talking to Summer before. Actually, that was the problem, he never really talked to Summer before. He never thought about her before last night and it was starting to worry him. Sighing, he convinced himself that it was nothing. He was just doing that thing again, the thing where all the problems in the world became his fault and he had to save everyone and make everything okay again so he tried to fix things. Summer had a break-up, it was normal for her to be upset about it, he was just blowing things out of proportion now and his spidey-senses were on overdrive.

Sitting up and grabbing the book bag he had set down on his bed earlier, he started browsing through it and took out some work that he could occupy himself with until he was tired enough to fall sleep. Ryan worked for hours, despite the fact that he was already ahead of the rest of the class anyways. He put down his things and stopped for what he had intended to be a break from all of this studying, but the second he lay back on the pillow, he closed his eyes and past out without changing.


	7. Playing Hero

Chapter 7 - Playing Hero.

Summer had been cautious about every hallway she walked down and every class room she stepped foot in. It wasn't that she was avoiding her ex-boyfriend, Summer Roberts didn't avoid people, she was just steering clear of unnecessary drama. Besides, it was better for Zach this way, because if he were to walk up to her and desperately beg for her forgivness, she might have to release a rage blackout on him infront of the entire student body, and Zach surely wouldn't have wanted that.

She had ignored the whispering that would rise amongst her peers when she walked by, there'd surely be some new scandal or event that they could gossip over tomorrow, it was Newport, there had to be. What was the big deal anyways? It's not like she was famous or something, people break up everyday, it's not really that big a story. Orange County was definitely losing it's edge if the most dramatic thing around was the end of a relationship.

Luckily, she only had to put up with all this nonsense for another five minutes, then her last class of the day would end and she'd be free to leave. So, she sat patiently, pretending to pay attention to whatever the teacher was saying as she absentmindedly tapped her pencil against the blank page of her notebook. She shot up when the bell sounded, slamming shut her books and gathering them before heading for the door.

She exited the classroom and cursed under her breath, noticing Zach pushing off the wall and making his way towards her. She turned down the hall and picked up her pace, trying to lose him in the crowd. Unfortunately, he caught up when she stopped and began fiddling with the combination on her locker.

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Ryan closed his locker and slung his bag over his shoulder. He started down the hall towards the main entrance where Seth would be waiting for him in the rover. Every glimpse of a girl with long, dark hair that caught the corner of the eye had pulled in his interest, distracting him from concentrating on just about anything all day long. He shook his head again, trying to focus on making it outside.

He had been trying to make sense of his newfound obsession with Summer. Actually, it wasn't an obsession, Ryan didn't obsess over anything. It was this whole be-a-hero thing again, thats what it was. Although, there was this goofy smile that he got at lunch when Summer had joined Seth and himself. Yeah, he was just playing hero, thats all.

So, when he noticed Summer, the actual Summer this time, slamming her locker shut and trying to ignore a very determined looking Zach, he couldn't pass up the chance to sort out the situation. He quickened his pace and just before he reached the pair, Seth cut in front of him and slipped in between the tiny brunette and the tall water polo star.

"Dude, I know this really isn't any of my buisness or anything, but maybe you should back off." The curly haired boy challenged with a bit of uncertainty shining through his attempt at being macho. Ryan tightened his jaw and tensed up a bit, watching the scene unfold in front of him.

Summer glanced up at Seth where he stood with his back turned to her in an almost protective fashion, ensuring that he was blocking Zach's path. She watched as Zach slowly gave a defeated nod to Seth and walked away sadly.

When Zach had disapeared around the corner and out of sight, Seth's face automatically lit up into a victory smirk and he shot a wide grin at Ryan as he turned to face Summer, who was standing with her books hugged tightly to her chest and a confused look covering her face as she glanced up to meet her hero's eyes.

"Uh... Thanks, Cohen." She said awkwardly and Seth appeared even more pleased than before, even though Ryan thought that it wasn't possible.

"No problem, Summer. In fact, anytime you need help getting rid of an annoying ex-boyfriend, you give me a call and I will take care of the situation right away." Seth rambled, soaking in his glory as the three of them started down the hall and out into the parking lot.

Ryan had this feeling growing in his gut and he tuned his brother out, becomming annoyed with him. He felt it grow every time a giggle escaped Summer's lips when Seth made a funny comment. He identified it as jelousy and refused to admit to it, suddenly wishing he was back in the pool house by himself. Or with Summer.

The walk to the rover seemed like it took an eternity and Ryan was killing himself when Marissa walked up with a big smile on her face. He swore that he'd punch the next person he saw looking so happy.

"Hey, guys." The blonde girl said as she took a spot standing beside Ryan. The four of them stood facing each other, but Ryan's eyes were glued to the ground. He suddenly felt guilty, like he'd done something wrong and he knew it was because of Summer. It had been obvious that Marissa wanted him and there was no denying how badly Seth wanted Summer, he'd hurt a lot of people if he admited to feeling this way about the girl. He shook the idea away, as if he had a chance anyway.

"Hey, Coop. Seth was just asking if we wanted to go to the Bait Shop tonight with him and Ryan. You up for it?" Summer greeted her friend, filling her in as well as giving Ryan a chance to catch up on the conversation he'd been ignoring for the past few minutes.

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Marissa agreed, gleefully.

"Awesome! We'll see you girls there." Seth replied happily and glanced over to give Ryan a smile, pausing at his friend's solemn expression. "Hey, dude, you feeling okay?"

Ryan's head shot up at the question and he gulped nervously as he realized all eyes were on him, including Summer's big brown ones. He nodded and remained silent, trying to straighten up and look normal.

"Okay, well, we better go. Later, Cohen." Summer said and began to head towards her car with Marissa following close behind.

Ryan reached for the driver's side door and pulled it open, climbing into the vehicle and taking a deep breath to get himself back together. What the hell was happening to him? Seth's door slammed and Ryan slid the key into the ignition, powering up the car and backing out of the space he'd pulled into that morning.

"Man, are you sure you're okay? You seemed pretty out of it back there, did sometimes happen?" Seth pressed as the car rolled out onto the road and sped towards the Cohen residence.

"Nothing happened, I'm fine, it's just been a long day." Ryan offered, hoping that the answer would satisfy Seth.

"Oh, alright then." Seth accepted the excuse and drummed his fingers against his knee for about a minute before his old Cohen antics kicked in. "Dude, did you see Summer's face after I got Zach to leave her alone? That was so awesome, dude, this could totally be the first step towards getting her back. I mean, she was actually tolerating me being around her back there. I can't believe it, bro." Seth went on obsessively and Ryan unconsciously gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"Maybe you should wait a while, Seth. She just broke up with Zach, it might me too soon for her to start another relationship." Ryan suggested, trying to relax and give some good advice to his brother. He couldn't help but feel like it was just a way to slow Seth down so he could win Summer for himself, he knew he wouldn't do that though. After all that Seth and the Cohen's had done for him, he wouldn't repay them by stealing Seth's girl. He decided against speaking anymore, it was better for him that way.

"Yeah, maybe. But maybe she's waiting for someone else to come sweep her off her feet. The perfect way to get over someone is to get with someone else, man. Thats why you have to come to the Bait Shop tonight and be my wingman." Seth replied.

"I don't know, Seth. I'm not really up for it." Ryan said, trying to find a way out of going with everyone tonight.

"Come on man, Marissa will be there." Seth said, pulling out all the stops to try and convince his brother to come along.

"Why would I care?" Ryan said, almost too quickly.

"Dude, sorry. I just kinda figured that you liked Marissa, cause you know, you've pretty much been dating her since you got here. Well, you know, besides Lindsay and all..." Seth trailed off, adding a tone of sarcasm to his voice.

"Well, I don't. I don't want to date her again. Actually, I don't want to date anyone right now, so just drop it, okay?" Ryan stated, sternly.

"Okay." Seth replied, quietly. The boy was at a loss for words and Ryan automatically felt guilty for it.

"I'll go tonight. But don't try to set me up with anyone, alright?" Ryan said, giving in.

"You will? Awesome! And you can trust me, man. No hook up's for Ryan, got it." Seth said, happily as the rover pulled to a stop in the Cohen driveway.

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Marissa was staring at herself in her best friend's mirror, putting on her makeup while Summer sat on her bed, brushing her hair and struggling to pay attention to the re-run of the episode of The Valley that was showing on her television set. The girls were getting ready for a night out at the Bait Shop, conversing as they did so.

"Sum, do you think Ryan was acting weird today? He wasn't really talking that much and it seemed like something was bothering him." Marissa asked, turning back to look at Summer.

"Chino not talking? Doesn't really sound that different." Summer offered, shutting off the television and waiting for the sound of her doorbell. She was excited about tonight, she figured it would do her some good to get out and have a little fun, and it would definitely take her mind off of that cheating bastard she used to date.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Marissa said, taking a seat on Summer's bed. "Do you think he'll be ready to start dating again? I really miss him."

"Maybe." Summer paused to think about what a good thing to say would be. She didn't know why, but she'd been thinking about Ryan a lot lately. She'd recalled the phone call from last night a million times today and it made her smile, how cute it was that he was concerned for her. But she couldn't mention it to her best friend, who constantly talked about how much she wanted the boy back. She opened her mouth to offer her advice but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I guess we're about to find out." Summer said, jumping up off of the bed and following Marisssa out of the room.

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_So, there's a new chapter for you kiddies. I've gotten pretty far ahead with this story and I like where it's going, so there should be more updates pretty quickly. If anyone is out there enjoying this, please let me know, your reviews make me all giddy and warm inside. :)_


	8. The Bait Shop

Chapter 8 - The Bait Shop

The ride to the Bait Shop was long and awkward. Seth made comments to break the silence every couple of minutes but it failed to spark a conversation amongst the group. Ryan kept his eyes on the road, ignoring the way that Marissa was staring at him from the back seat. Summer noticed it and crossed her arms, staring out the window.

The car finally pulled into the parking lot of the Bait Shop and Ryan cut the engine. Everyone hopped out and headed towards the entrance of the club in silence and the music washed over them, cutting down on the obvious tension in the air. Some local band that no body knew the name of were rocking out on stage and the four teens all stood in the crowd, watching them perform.

After a couple songs Seth was successful in starting up a conversation with Summer and Marissa joined in as much as she could. Ryan stood around in his usual silence, trying hard to distract himself from staring at Summer. It was hard though, she looked really good tonight, in her mini skirt and... ugh, get ahold of yourself, Ryan.

"I'm going to get a drink." Ryan informed as soon as there was a moment of silence to cut through. Seth nodded and turned his attention back to Summer, who was smiling and laughing at everything he said.

"I'll come." Marissa said as Ryan started to walk towards the bar and peeled away from the group to follow him. She gave him a smile and ordered her drink.

They quietly sat at a table, sipping away at their beverages. Marissa was shifting uncomfortably in her seat and fiddling with the straw in her drink.

"So, how have you been?" Marissa asked, not being able to stand the quiet anymore.

"Good." Ryan replied in his classic mono-syllabic way and she nodded, obviously disappointed at his lack of an answer.

"Uh... what about you?" He offered, trying to continue the conversation and make her happy.

"I've been alright. A little lonely, though." She hinted and he nodded, taking a sip of his drink. He understood what she wanted but he didn't exactly want the same thing.

"I've really missed you, Ryan." Marissa replied, getting the feeling that she had to be more obvious about what she was getting at. She covered his hand with hers and smiled, making him swallow nervously, preparing to turn her down.

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Summer had laughed loudly at whatever Cohen had said to her, touching his arm and bumping against him whenever she could. He had this big, goofy grin on his face and she knew he thought he was winning her over, her flirtatious gestures would definitely give off that effect. She glanced over at Marissa and Ryan, who looked to her like they were enjoying themselves as well. Or at least Marissa was, and Summer couldn't help but feel a little jelous because of it.

"You know, Summer," Seth began and the girl pulled her attention back to him, trying hard to distract herself. "I can't believe that Zach would do something like that to you, but I think that it's best that you found out because he really doesn't deserve you."

Summer nodded, not wanting to do this. This night sucked. It was supposed to be awesome, she was supposed to be having the time of her life right now. Instead, Cohen, of all people was pitying her and she kept glancing at Ryan Atwood and getting disappointed when he wasn't looking back at her. She watched as Marissa's hand found it's way over Ryan's and she pulled her eyes away, staring hard at Cohen. No more peeking, Ryan wasn't good for her anyway.

"So, if you're ever feeling lonely or upset or something like that, I just want you to know that I'm here. And I won't try anything, well, unless you want me to, but thats a whole different topic and we really don't have to get into that right now and..." Summer stopped paying attention to him as she let her eyes wonder back up to the place she kept telling herself not to look, just in time to see Marissa lean in and kiss Ryan.

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Ryan automatically closed his eyes and remained still, not kissing back, but not pulling away. He sat there for a minute, letting her lean in and cup his face in an attempt to deepen the kiss. His mind caught up with him slowly and he pushed away, standing up from his chair and taking in the confused look on Marissa's face.

"I-I can't do this." He admitted, trying to catch his breath and make his way towards the exit of the crowded room.

"But... But I thought..." Marissa said quietly, obviously not understanding his reaction, holding onto his arm so that he wouldn't walk away without giving an explaination.

"I-I'm sorry, I just... I don't want to be with you, I'm sorry." He stuttered, pulling his arm free and breaking for the door.

The surprisingly cold air of the night hit him hard and he relaxed a little. He slowly dragged his feet toward the railing of the pier and leaned against it, letting out a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes and mulled over what had just happened in his mind, feeling light-headed, almost like he was going to be sick. It wasn't that he was appaled at the idea of being with Marissa, he sort of still wanted her. But he wanted Summer more, a lot more.

Marissa was great but he couldn't stand being around her anymore, nontheless, even attempt a relationship with her. He'd been so happy with Lindsay and it wasn't that he was trying to find a girl exactly like her, but he was trying to find a girl that wasn't Marissa, things worked better for him that way.

He wasn't sure why that girl had to be Summer though, it would definitely complicate things. When he had first come to Newport, he had been warned that she was off limits and he had no problem with that, seeing as she came across as a bitch back then. But a few nights ago, he'd seen a different side of her and he wanted to make her stop being so upset. That night he'd realized that he never really payed attention to her before, and if he did, he would have realized that she wasn't as bad as he first thought her to be and he wanted to know more about her. He also realized that she was hot, really hot.

He let out another sigh, this time it was more out of frustration. He brought his hands up and rested his head in them, tensing his jaw and shifting, listening to the sounds around him. The ocean sliding in and out onto the shore, the faint sound of music that was leaking through the entrance of the Bait Shop, the distant laughter of two men having a smoke by that entrance.

"Chino?" Ryan jumped at the voice and his breath caught in his throat. He brought his hands back down by his side and turned to look at the girl who had been causing him so much trouble tonight, and she did it all without having to lift a finger. Summer was standing there, looking almost like she was nervous. She had her arms crossed tightly over her chest and he swallowed, attepmting to get the air circulating in and out of his lungs again.

"Summer? What are you doing out here?" He questioned, thankful that he'd been able to form words. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up and he was positive that she could make him do absolutely anything she wanted if she asked.

"I was looking for you." She answered, stepping closer to him and leaning against the railing, staring at his face curiously. She waited for him to say something, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to give her anything. "I... uh... saw you and Marissa..." She trailed off, hoping that he'd get the point.

"Oh." He said, feeling like getting sick again. It was like he was guilty wanting her, but he was guilty being with anyone else. Ryan leaned against the railing, allowing it to cut into his back and he refused to meet Summer's eyes.

"I wanted to see if you were okay." Summer stated, shyly. She wasn't feeling like herself and she definitley wasn't acting like it, either. Summer Roberts wasn't shy, Summer Roberts didn't get nervous and most of all, Summer Roberts didn't fall for Ryan Atwood. It didn't work.

A confused look crossed Ryan's face and he remained silent, still focusing on the ocean in front of him and not the beautiful girl that had ditched the party because she was concerned for him. He opened his mouth to speak, only to close it a few seconds later. He repeated those actions a few times before bringing his eyes down to his feet and letting out a long breath of air, feeling stupid.

"Chino? You still with me?" Summer asked, raising her eyebrow and waving her hand around to grab his attention, not that she didn't have it already or anything like that.

"Yeah. I'm fine. You can go." Ryan said, awkwardly, tensing up as he turned to look at her.

"Who said I was going anywhere?" She questioned in a confident tone, placing a hand on her hip.

Ryan wasn't expecting that. He swore that she was doing this to torture him. He reached up and scratched the back of his head and she let out a frustrated sigh, rolling her eyes at him.

"You're way too complicated sometimes, Chino. It was just a kiss, whats the big deal? It's not like you and Coop haven't done it before." Summer asked, stating the obvious.

Her words reminded Ryan that she wasn't here for him, but for her best friend, Marissa. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed about the realization. "I-It's just that... I don't think that me and Marissa are working. I want someone else." It wasn't a lie, he wasn't lying. He just wasn't saying everything.

Summer seemed surprised at the announcement and it brought back memories of the car ride home with Seth and his reaction when he'd said he was done with Marissa. "Well... who do you want?" She hesitated, slowly letting the words roll of her tougne as she tilted her head to the side, watching him closely.

_You. I want you. A lot._ "I don't know, just not her."

"Oh." Summer replied, nodding, hoping that she hadn't sounded too hopeful when asking her question and that she didn't appear too disappointed with the answer.

"You should get back inside, Seth's probably waiting." Ryan said, trying hard not to sound too bitter. He just wanted this night to end.

Summer straightened up at the comment, getting angry almost instantly. "And why would I care if Cohen was waiting for me?"

Ryan turned his head to look at her, confused. She was definitley as pissed off as she had sounded. "Because you like him. Because you were all over him about twenty minutes ago."

"I so do not like Cohen! Maybe I was just trying to make someone jelous." Summer said, adopting a sly tone.

"Who would you possibly be trying to make jelous?" Ryan asked back, focusing on her eyes.

She paused, biting her lip as she stared at him staring at her. She opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted.

"Summer?" Zach's voice sounded from behind her, causing her to jump and reel around to face him.

"Oh god, not you." Summer said, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms, clearly not amused.

"I was looking for you inside, Cohen said you were out here. Look, I know you don't want to give me another chance but I really think that you'd reconsider if you'd let me explain what really happened." Zach pleaded, hoping to change her mind.

"I really don't want to hear it, Zach. We're over, that's it, you don't have to explain anything." Summer responded boldly, standing her ground. Ryan watched in silence, wishing this guy would leave them alone. Ryan liked being alone with Summer, a lot more than he should have.

"I've been so miserable without you lately," Zach stepped forward and grabbed her hand, looking straight into her eyes. "Just give me a couple minutes alone with you to straighten things out, please." Zach asked, giving Ryan a glance before turning his attention back to Summer.

Summer got ready to reject him but paused when she looked at his face. He did seem really sad and it wasn't like she'd change her mind about the break up, it didn't matter what he said. "Fine." Ryan tensed and began to push off of the railing to give them some privacy, but stopped upon hearing Summer's next words. "But Chino's not going anywhere."

Zach and Ryan both shot her a similar look of confusion. "It really isn't any of his buisness." Zach stated, releasing Summer's hand.

"Yeah, I should leave, I really don't mind..." Ryan said.

"I want you here, you're staying." Summer ordered, turning to give him a glare. Ryan relaxed against the pole once again, leaving them to their conversation.

"Uh... Okay." Zach said, complying to her request. "I never cheated on you. The girl was an ex-girlfriend of mine. She moved to Newport a few weeks ago and my parents wanted me to see her again in hopes that we'd start dating, I don't want her though, I want you. I'm really sorry that it looked like something else." Zach explained, watching as the expression on Summer's face changed from angry to confused.

"Oh." Summer said, quietly. She had no clue how to respond to everything. Zach didn't cheat on her after all. She'd been wrong the whole time. But for some reason, she didn't want Zach back. She was sick of having to deal with his family always being against her.

"So... can we be together again? It was all just a big misunderstanding and I forgive you for it." Zach asked, hopefully, a small smile spreading across his face that made Ryan ball up his fists. Great, now he wasn't going to have a chance with Summer at all, She'd be with Zach and he'd get to watch while they hooked up, not being able to do anything about it.

But when Ryan glanced at her, his hopes shot up again. She was looking at the ground, uncomfortably shifting, searching for the right words and he knew it wasn't what she wanted. "Zach, You're great. But I...I..." She trailed off, looking at him helplessly.

"She found someone else." Ryan said as he stepped up beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. Summer glanced up at him, shocked by his actions.

"What?" Zach asked, confused. The smile had quickly faded off his face and he appeared to be angry.

"She's with me. So, give it up and leave us alone." Ryan said, firmly, staring him down hard. Summer smiled at Zach, playing along with the game, secretly wishing that it was more than that.

Zach returned his look for a few seconds before nodding and heading towards the parking lot, defeated for the second time that day. Ryan waited until he was out of sight, savoring the feeling of having Summer in his arms before slowly letting his hand fall away from her hip and back down by his side.

"Ryan, that was... wow... thank you." Summer said, greatfully. She stared up at Ryan and gave him a smile. He had this look in his eyes that she couldn't quite place.

"It was no problem." Ryan replied, gulping nervously before continuing. "But, I think... I think that you should know that.. You..." He paused, trying to come up with words to explain that he wanted her. After almost losing her to Zach, he was sure that he couldn't let her go now. He had a chance, so he was going to use it, he had to try.

"What?" Summer asked, raising her eyebrow, waiting for him to finish. She watched him shift and struggle to maintain eye contact with her.

"I... Summer, I think that you should know that-"

"Hey, Ryan!" Seth called from the door, smiling as he made his way towards the pair with Marissa following him, looking a lot less excited, as she kept her eyes to the ground and her arms crossed tightly across her chest in an almost protective fashion.

"Seth, hi." Ryan greeted, quietly. He glanced at Summer, who was still staring at him, now looking desperate and it killed him. Great Job, Ryan, you blew it.

"Hey, man, did Zach come out here?" Seth asked, not catching the tension in the air as he glanced at Summer, who's eyes were glued to Ryan's face.

"Yeah, he left." Ryan informed, his voice low.

"Great, we should probably get going though, I promised the parents we'd be there ten minutes ago." Seth said, obliviously. Ryan gave Summer one last look before he turned around and started towards the direction in which he had parked the car.

Summer let out a frustrated sigh, taking a spot walking beside Marissa. She was a terrible, terrible best friend for even thinking about Ryan the way she was.

"Everything okay?" Seth asked, finally noticing how annoyed she was.

"Peachy." Summer replied, climbing into the back seat of the rover. Ryan prepared for another long, awkward ride home.

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Ryan fell back on his bed, happy to finally be home. His hands covered his face and he barely had time to think about what had happened earlier that night when he heard the pool house door open.

"Hey, buddy. How was your night?" Seth greeted, closing the door and walking into the room, making himself comfortable and taking a set beside Ryan on his bed.

"Terrible." Ryan replied, sitting up.

"Yeah, Marissa filled me in on what happened. She was alone, so I went over and talked to her after Summer took off in the middle of my story. Like, she didn't give me a warning or let me know where she was going or anything, she just left. I didn't know you guys were that close." Seth said.

"We're not." Ryan replied, recieving a look from Seth.

"She didn't even go over and say anything to Marissa though, dude. Is there something going on between you guys?" Seth asked.

"What would be going on between me and Summer? I don't even talk to her." Ryan answered, trying to stay calm. Seth would kill him if he knew the truth.

"I don't know, you just seem different when she's around. And it would make sense considering that she didn't even stop and check on her best friend after she got rejected by the guy of her dreams. Oh yeah, and there was that freak out you had on the drive home after school..." Seth poked, almost accusingly.

"I didn't say anything about Summer after school, I just said that I didn't want Marissa." Ryan pointed out, defensively.

"Well why did she go oustide to see you instead of Marissa?" Seth pressed on persistantly.

"I don't know, ask Summer." Ryan suggested, getting annoyed.

"Well... even if nothing happened... do you like her?" Seth asked, hesitating.

"No! Why would I like Summer?" Ryan shot back, raising his voice a little bit. It was hard convincing Seth of something that wasn't true, even harder lying to him in the first place.

"Relax, man, I was just wondering. I mean, whenever Summer's around you talk less... like... even for you. And if I remember correctly, you smiled when she walked over today at lunch. Ryan Atwood doesn't smile." Seth said, hoping not to piss Ryan off too much.

"I don't like her, okay? Besides, what difference would it make if I did? It's not like I'd take her from you." Ryan asked carefully, more calmly than his last comment. He knew that he was risking giving himself away, but maybe Seth's reaction would be different than he'd expected.

"I don't know, I don't really want to find out though, man. I think we were really hitting it off at the Bait Shop... well, before she went after you." Seth said, the hope evident in his voice.

_I so do not like Cohen! Maybe I was just trying to make someone jelous._"Sorry."The guilt crept back into Ryan's stomach as he recalled Summer's words earlier that night. He knew that whatever he was feeling for her had to stop, he couldn't do that to Seth.

"Whatever. I should probably go though, it's late and we have another uneventful day of highschool ahead of us tomorrow. Night, bro." Seth said, getting up off of the bed and giving a small wave to his brother before exiting the pool house.

Ryan lay back down on his bed, his hands covering his face yet again. God, the world was definitely against him.

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	9. Love and War

Chapter 9 - Love and War

Ryan was sitting alone during his lunch break. He wasn't in the mood for any of Seth's obsessing today, especially after the conversation that they had shared last night after the crazy trip to the Bait Shop. He couldn't believe that he had almost been found out and was still feeling guilty about his feelings for Summer.

Summer. Oh god, Summer. He'd walked into the school that morning, acting calm and mature but when he'd noticed her approaching him and his brother, he took off. He knew that it had been extreamely cowardly of him but he just couldn't face her, not yet. They were barely even friends, maybe she'd just blow off their whole encounter, he hoped so, despite the disappointment that rushed him everytime he thought about it.

Ryan was sitting in the library, trying hard to focus on some work. He may have been ahead in pretty much all of his classes, but he really needed the distraction. He'd picked the place because he knew that there was no chance of running into anyone he knew, he could just relax, calm down and...

"Ryan?" Great. This was just great.

Ryan turned in his chair to look at who was disturbing him. Immediately, he tensed. "Zach."

"Hey, man. What are you doing in here? I figured you'd be with Summer." Zach asked, pulling up a seat.

"I've got some work to do." Ryan pointed out, motioning to the open books in front of him, trying to make Zach realize that he was busy and he couldn't afford to be suspended from school right now on account of violence.

"Oh. Well, thats cool." Zach said, nodding and placing his elbows on the desk uncomfortably.

"Do you want something?" Ryan questioned after a brief silence.

"Actually, yeah. I want Summer." Zach replied, turning to stare at Ryan.

"Give it up, man. She's moved on, she doesn't want you back, you can't change that." Ryan said, returning his stare. His hands were balled up loosely on the table in front of him, just in case. This guy was really getting on his nerves.

"I have to do something, I'm not going to lose her." Zach said, strongly.

"You've already lost her." Ryan reminded, confidently.

"I don't believe you. She can't just stop liking me, I didn't do anything, it was all a mistake. Look, if I have to put up a fight, I will." Zach stated, determination evident in his voice. God, he just didn't know when to quit.

"Go ahead, do what you want, it won't change her mind." Ryan advised, standing up and gathering all his books before heading for the exit. He was still uptight, even after he had left the room. He slowly walked down the hall as the bell sounded, announcing that classes were about to begin. He turned a corner and glanced down the hall, letting out a sigh. Summer was standing in front of his locker, waiting for him. There was no way he was going to be able to relax today.

"Hey." Summer greeted with a bright smile on her face.

Ryan nodded to acknowledge the greeting. He focused on the lock on his locker.

"Everything okay?" She asked, frowning a little due to the lack of response she'd gotten from him.

"Yeah." Ryan replied half heartedly as he popped open his locker and exchanged his books, pulling out what he needed for the rest of the day.

Summer stared at him for awhile, trying to read him. There was definitely something weird going on with him and she intended to find out. "Look, I need to talk to you about something." She stated, biting her lip after she'd spoken.

"Can't talk, I've got class." Ryan said, closing his locker door and looking at her for the first time since the conversation started.

"Well... It's important." Summer stated as she crossed her arms and stuck out her chin, staring back at him.

"I'm busy. Could we do this after school?" Ryan asked, starting down the hall towards his next class with Summer in tow.

"I'm busy after school." Summer informed, glancing up at him.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this right now. Talk to you tomorrow?" Ryan asked, not waiting for an answer before slipping into his classroom after the bell sounded a second time, signaling that he was late.

"Yeah, bye." Summer quietly said, more to herself than to Ryan. She glanced at the ground solemnly and slowly turned and headed away from the room.

Ryan looked over his shoulder in time to see her leave before he took a seat at the back of the room, feeling like shit.

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Summer was sitting in her car which just so happened to be parked in front of the Cohen mansion. After meeting her father for dinner she had gone straight over there, she needed to talk to Ryan, it was important, like she had said earlier. She was confused as of to why she'd been sitting there, staring at the house in front of her for the past ten minutes, it should have been easy. This so wasn't like her.

Finally, she made up her mind and pushed open the door of her car, hopping out and straightening out her skirt. She made her way to the entrance of the residence and knocked on the door.

"Summer, hey!" Seth Cohen answered and a smile immediately covered his face. Summer mentally kicked herself for not heading straight to the pool house.

"Hi, Cohen. Um... is Ryan around?" Summer asked, looking over Seth's shoulder to peek inside the house.

"Yeah, he's in the pool house." Seth answered, hints of curiosity found in his voice.

"Okay, thanks." Summer said as the boy stepped to let her in.

"So... you're here to see Ryan?" Seth questioned, closing the door and following her to the kitchen.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She asked as she stopped and turned around to face him.

"Because you've never wanted to see him before and actually, you two don't even talk." Seth stated, clearly confused.

"So? I need his advice about something." Summer informed, placing a hand on her hip.

"Advice about what?" Seth asked, connecting the conversation with the one he'd had with Ryan hours before.

"Something. It's none of your buisness, Cohen." Summer said, trying to push past him towards the sliding glass door that lead to the backyard.

"And it's Ryan's buisness?" Seth questioned, stepping in front of her.

"Yes, actually, it is. God, what's your problem? I just want to talk to him." Summer asked, getting frustrated.

"Is there something going on between you and Ryan?" Seth shot back, quickly.

"What? No, of course not! We're friends!" Summer said, trying to convince both Seth and herself of the words.

"Do you like him?" Seth asked again, staring at her hard.

"No! God, Cohen, you're such as ass." Summer said, trying to make her way past him again.

"I think you like him." Seth stated, defiantely as he sood in her way for the second time.

"Whats going on?" Ryan asked, stepping inside through the back door, giving a confused look to Seth and Summer.

"Nothing, I was just leaving." Summer said, obviously angry as she turned and headed for the kitchen's exit.

"You're leaving? But I thought you wanted to talk to Ryan?" Seth asked in a tone that was clearly bitter. Ryan raised his eyebrow, still standing by the door.

Summer stopped and turned around, giving Ryan a helpless look.

"Thats what I thought." Seth said, leaning against the counter and staring at Summer.

"Seth, whats going on?" Ryan asked, stepping further into the room.

"Summer came over to see you." Seth stated, giving Ryan a big smile that was clearly fake.

"So, whats the problem?" Ryan asked again, not understanding why Seth was so angry.

"Thats the problem! Summer came over to see you! Dude, why don't you just admit that something is going on between you two?" Seth asked, raising his voice. Ryan was taken aback.

"I should go." Summer offered, quietly as she began backing away from the scene.

"No, no. It's okay. You wanted to talk, I'll leave you two alone." Seth said, the same bitter tone poisoning each of his words as he pushed off the counter and brushed past Summer, leaving the room.

"Seth, come on, man..." Ryan pleaded, making his way around the table and following him.

"Whatever, man, it's cool!" Seth yelled over his shoulder as he made his way up the stairs.

Ryan stopped in the middle of the foyer and watched him dissapear behind the corner at the top of the stairs and listened to the slamming of his brother's bedroom door.

"I'm sorry." Summer apologized, quietly. Her arms were crossed loosely over her chest and she was watching Ryan sadly, regreating her decision to stop by tonight.

"No, you didn't do anything." Ryan said, shaking his head and turning to face her.

"I'll leave." Summer said, her eyes falling to the floor as she began towards the front door.

"Didn't you want to talk?" Ryan asked, giving her a sympathetic look.

"It's not really the best time." She stated, stopping in front of him and cocking her head towards the direction that Seth had took off in.

"Sure it is, come on." Ryan said, taking her hand and pulling her back through the kitchen towards the pool house. There was this feeling that shot through his hand and spread throughout his body when he touched her, kind of like electricity. He did his best to ignore it as he lead her around the pool and entered his room.

He dropped her hand as they both made their way inside and shut the door behind them. Making his way over to the bed, he sat down and watched as she slowly did the same.

"Whats up?" Ryan asked, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward, turning his head to look at her.

"I really shouldn't be here right now, it's my fault that Cohen's so upset." Summer responded, her hands tangled together and resting in her lap.

"It's not your fault, he's just jumping to conclusions. We didn't do anything wrong." Ryan coaxed, telling the truth.

"Well, what about the other night at the Bait Shop when you told Zach we were together?" Summer asked quietly, convinced that the question was stupid.

"That was nothing, I was just... helping a friend out." Ryan replied. Summer nodded and a silence fell over the two. They sat awkwardly beside each other, each searching for words.

"Anything else you wanted to talk about?" Ryan asked, quickly.

"Actually, yeah." Summer answered, pausing to bite her lip. "Last night you said there was something you thought that I should know, you just never said what it was."

Ryan's eyes dropped from her face and focused on the pool outside. He sat up straight again, the question catching him off gaurd. Seth was already mad enough, he didn't need Summer knowing the truth anyways. But maybe if he told her now, there was a chance that Seth would calm down faster instead of having the whole thing blowing over in time for them to hook up. Ryan wasn't even sure that they were going to hook up. He wasn't sure why he was still considering Summer either, not after the way Seth has went off. But there was something about the feeling that hit him when he grabbed her hand that kept the idea in his mind and twisted his entire plan.

"Chino?" Summer asked, staring at him, waiting for the answer. It had been killing her all day long and she swore she was going to explode if he didn't say anything soon.

"I...I..." Ryan stuttered, nervously. His mind raced back and forth between his best friend and the girl sitting beside him and eventually he just stopped trying to think, seeing as it wasn't getting him anywhere anyways. He decided to take a different approach to answering the question.

"Last night, Seth asked me if I liked you." He paused to swallow down the nervous lump in his throat and glance at Summer to check her reaction. She had the same look on her face as she did when Seth had bounded out of the club last night and interrupted their conversation. She was desperate to know what the point of this was.

"I said that I didn't and I told him that he was crazy for thinking so. I told him I'd never do something as low as taking you from him. But... But I..." Ryan stopped to swallow again and bit down lightly on his tounge to consider for the last time if he wanted to do this or not.

"Go on." Summer urged, lightly. She was chewing on her lip, nervously, trying not to get her hopes up.

"I want you." Ryan declared, strongly. He looked back at her, waiting for her to push up off the bed and leave in a hurry.

Summer stared at him in disbelief with wide eyes. Her lip made a popping sound as she stopped nibbling on it and she sat there, unable to move. She had wanted this for weeks but she had no idea how to react.

"I'm sorry, you should go." Ryan said, trying not to show his disappointment as he pulled his eyes ahead of him again.

Without thinking, Summer reached out and placed a hand on the side of his face, turning his head towards her before leaning in and kissing him. Ryan eyes shut automatically as soon as her lips touched his and he immediately kissed her back like it was some kind of reflex. She kept her hand where it was, cupping his face and she felt his hand slip around her and push lightly against her lower back.

Their lips remained pressed together for a few more seconds and then Summer pulled back, too soon in Ryan's oppinion. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her, a smile that almost seemed shy to him playing on her face. Her reaction brought his classic half smile to life.

"Summer..." Ryan started, the novelty of the kiss wearing off as he caught his breath, guilt flooding him quicker than ever before. The way she was looking at him was so good it was painful and it made doing the right thing hurt even more.

"We can't do this." He finished, watching the smile fade from her face and a serious look replace the joyful one she had in her eyes.

"But you just said you wanted to." Summer reminded, confused.

"I know. And I do. It's just Seth..." Ryan said, trying hard to pull his eyes away from her perfect lips.

"Look, I understand that he's your brother and you don't want to hurt him, but what about me?" Summer asked, suddenly really mad. She wasn't about to let Cohen screw up another one of her relationships. This one hadn't even started and he was already interfering.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked, not realizing that he wasn't the only one who felt strongly about the other person in the room.

"I want this, too. You can't make everyone happy, Ryan. I know that Cohen loves me and everything but don't turn me down thinking that I'll go back to him, because I won't. You know that I would make you happy, why let him get in the way of that?" Summer replied, trying hard to convince him that this was right.

He sat silently for awhile, mulling over her words, mulling over everything that would happen if he said yes and what would happen if he said no. She was right, being with her would make him happy and he hasn't felt that way for weeks, not since Lindsay left. But Seth would never forgive him and he couldn't live with that.

"I'm sorry." Ryan apologized, quietly. He turned away from her and focused on the carpet in front of him, he couldn't watch her anymore.

"Fine, let Cohen mess everything up. I really wish you'd do something for yourself for once though, Chino." Summer said and got up from the bed, leaving the pool house without glancing back at him.

She made her way around the main house to the driveway, where she got in her car but instead of leaving right away, she just sat there again, feeling like she'd done this too many times that night. She felt bad even though she shouldn't have. It wasn't guilt that came because of kissing Ryan and doing that to her best friend, it was that her words might guilt Ryan into being with her, even though that was kind of the point of them. She pushed it back, letting the anger rise up inside her, things were easier that way.

She fired up the engine and backed out of the driveway, speeding off into the night.

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_Alright, I know it's a little short, but I'm really working up to Ryan and Summer, sorry if it may be as slow as possible. So I'm going to keep you kids in suspense for awhile longer, I might not be able to update as much as I have been lately, due to the end of winter break. The wait might be a week or maybe two, tops. _

_Also, I'd like to let you all know that I was very tempted to name this chapter Bro's Before Ho's. Owned._


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